LocationLat
5° 16' 0S Long 145° 46' 0E Oro Bay is located on the north coast of New Guinea to the south of Buna. To the southeast is Cape Sinclair and Harvey Bay.

Wartime History
During November 1942, Australian and American troops used Oro Bay as a staging area to support the campaign against the Japanese defenders at Buna, Gona and Sanananda. This
bay area was developed into a staging area for Allied ships, with a wharf
at the
southern
end of
the bay,
and many
installations
along
the shore, and gun batteries in the surrounding hills. Oro Bay was the target of several Japanese
air raids.

Operation Lilliput was a convoy effort to move supplies from Milne Bay to Oro Bay during December 1942 and June 1943. Within six months, the convoys had delivered 60,000 tons of supplies and 3,802 troops from Milne Bay to Oro Bay. Corvettes provided the majority of the escort force

US Army Base B (Oro Bay)
After the battle, it was further developed by the U. S. Army into a major base area. Designated "Base B" by the US Army Letter Base designation.

During 1943, the facilities were expanded to include Liberty Ship Wharves on the south side of Oro Bay, plus an engineering depot at the center of the bay. On the northern side was a headquarters, fuel jetty and bulk petroleum storage. Further inland was a hospital and radio transmitter. Later, the area was developed further, including a detention center at Oro Bay to rehabilitating soldiers back into combat.

During May 1944, a gallows was constructed at Oro Bay and hanged six Negro (African-American) US Army soldiers who were found guilty at their court martial for the crime of rape allegedly committed in Milne Bay.

Today
A
new wharf is built atop the location of the wartime wharf. Oro Bay bay is used by a passenger
ferry providing service from Oro Bay to Lae and other locations in PNG. There are many
smaller bits of wreckage from the war in the vicinity. Unused bomb
casings litter the area, used as foundations for huts, guard rails or
abandoned
in the bush.